It’s not everyday that I get to learn how to prepare holiday meals from a chef himself so it was an exciting afternoon when Electrolux invited me, along with other bloggers, to experience A Taste of Christmas with Chef Jonathan Paul Em.
Right in the heart of Alabang Town Center, Electrolux had a kitchen setup with several of their latest kitchen appliances. My blogger friends were excited! Stay with me because I’m putting Chef Jon’s recipes right here for you to try during the holidays!
The 4 dishes that Chef Jon had readied for us were:
- Smoked Salmon Cucumber Rolls
- Spiced Fruit Salad Cups
- Cassava Tarts
- Christmas Paella
To make sure that all our ingredients remained crisp and fresh for our cooking event, Chef Jon used the Electrolux Nutrifresh Inverter Refrigerator which has a FreshShield Crisper with a unique tight seal to keep temperatures stable, minimize water loss, and provide a higher humidity so that fruits and vegetables stay fresh for up to a week.
SMOKED SALMON CUCUMBER ROLLS
Prep time: 20 minutes | Serves: 15-20
Here’s an appetizer that is so easy to whip up and serve.
INGREDIENTS
100 grams smoked salmon, chopped
¼ cup cream cheese
1 teaspoon fresh dill
Salt and pepper to taste
½ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon honey
Red bell peppers, cut into medium cubes
1 cucumber, sliced into thin strips
Cocktail skewers
PROCEDURE
1. In a medium bowl, cream together cream cheese, salt and pepper, paprika, cayenne and dill.
2. Mix in the smoked salmon and honey.
3. Spread over cucumber strips and roll. Secure with a skewer and a bell pepper.
4. Chill in your Electrolux Nutrifresh Inverter refrigerator.
SPICED FRUIT SALAD CUPS
Prep time: 40 mins | Cook Time: 30 mins | Serves: 12-15
The next dish we learned used both the Electrolux Built-in Induction Hob and the Electrolux Tabletop Microwave Oven with Grill & Convection. The built-in induction hob is such a practical addition to the modern kitchen because it lies flat on the counter and looks like it is part of the preparation counter. For small kitchens, having a flat surface where you can both cook and place stuff while cooking makes for space saving. The tabletop 2-in-1 appliance combines the convenience of a microwave with an oven, grill, and even a steamer. I am beginning to love induction cookers because they are much safer around small kids (and even adults) because they only heat up the cookware but the cooking area stays cool to the touch. No accidental burns!
I have always been used to the traditional fruit salad so this is a spicy twist to that tradition that you can try for a change.
INGREDIENTS
½ cup white sugar
½ cup water
2-3 pcs star anise
2 sticks cinnamon
1 tablespoon sliced ginger
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 can fruit salad mix, drained
1 cup lychee chopped
1 ½ tablespoons gelatin
¼ cup water
¼ cup condensed milk
1 cup whipped cream
PROCEDURE
1. In a small pot, make a syrup using the sugar, water, anise, cinnamon, ginger, salt and orange
zest. Cook using your Electrolux induction hob set at low heat. Stop when the sugar is
completely dissolved. Set aside to cool.
2. Pour the syrup into a bowl with the fruit cocktail mix and lychees. Allow to marinate for 20 mins,
then drain.
3. Dissolve gelatin in cold water. After mixture sets, place in the Electrolux microwave, set for 30
seconds. Mix with condensed milk.
4. Whip cream and fold into the condensed milk, then fold in the marinated fruits.
5. Portion into smaller cups or a pan mold and chill inside Electrolux Nutrifresh Inverter
refrigerator for 1 hour or until ready to serve.
CASSAVA TARTS
Prep time: 10 mins | Cook Time: 10 mins | Serves: 14
I’m glad this recipe was part of the cooking event because I just love cassava. And seeing how fast preparation and cooking time is, this is going to be another one I plan to try at home. Chef Jon used the Electrolux Built-in Oven for this one so that we could go on to the next dish while the tarts were baking. This built-in oven has a 68-liter capacity — plenty of room to cook multiple dishes in just one go.
INGREDIENTS
250g grated cassava
¼ cup sweetened condensed milk
¼ cup evaporated milk
¼ cup coconut milk
¼ cup coconut cream
1 egg
2 tablespoons chopped coconut meat
14 tart shells
Topping:
2 egg yokes
¼ cup reserved sweetened condensed milk
¼ cup reserved coconut milk
¼ cup reserved coconut cream
PROCEDURE
1. Preheat your Electrolux built-in oven to 350° f.
2. Set aside tart shells. In large mixing bowl, combine all other cake ingredients.
3. Mix well. Pour equally into 12 mini tart shells.
4. Bake in the Electrolux built-in oven until top is no longer liquid (approximately 20-30 minutes).
5. Mix topping ingredients well and spread evenly on top of tarts.
6. Bake an additional 7 to 10 minutes. Cool completely.
CHRISTMAS PAELLA
Prep time: 30 mins | Cook Time: 45 mins | Serves: 10
My first thought – but paella is so hard to make? I know when we order paella from our favorite Spanish restaurant, we have to give at least an hour’s notice! I knew it’s that complicated!!! But turns out I was in for a surprise because Chef Jon was able to teach us how to make a simplified version of paella using shrimps only in place of the more complicated version with prawns and oysters.
INGREDIENTS
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound chorizo sausages
1 tablespoon turmeric powder
2 teaspoons dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 2 inch pieces
3 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 cups uncooked white rice
1 bay leaf
½ bunch Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped
4 cups chicken stock
2 lemons, zested
1 white onion
1 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 pound shrimps, peeled and deveined
PROCEDURE
1. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet or paella pan over your Electrolux Induction hob set at
low heat. Add the chorizo and cook until most fat is rendered and chorizo browns. Set aside.
2. Using the same pan, keep the oil and stir in garlic, onion, red pepper flakes, and rice. Cook, stirring, to
coat rice with oil, for about 3 minutes. Stir in bay leaf, parsley, chicken stock, and lemon zest. Bring to a
boil, cover, and reduce heat to medium low. Simmer for a few minutes then transfer in the Electrolux
built-in oven for 15-20 minutes or until rice is cooked.
3. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a separate skillet over medium heat. Stir in chicken; cook 5
minutes. Stir in bell pepper and sausage; cook 5 minutes. Stir in shrimps; cook, turning the shrimp, until
both sides are pink. Arrange on top of rice and serve.
There you are! Four easy-peasy recipes that you can make this Christmas season when there are so many potluck parties and we often run out of meal ideas. By the way, these dishes are good year-round as well. And when you do decide to try your hand at it, you may also want to check out not just the Electrolux appliances I mentioned here but also the Electrolux Chimney Hood. It sucks out all that grease and cooking fumes from your kitchen while recirculating indoor air. A removable filter makes cleaning it a cinch. Your kitchen stays free of all that gunk and odor that would usually linger in a kitchen without a chimney hood.
Thanks, Chef Jon, for giving us A Taste of Christmas. Thanks likewise to Electrolux for hosting our lunch and the cooking event.